| Author |
 Replies: 13 / Views: 3,255 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3441 Posts |
Generally I shy away from the silver denarii ...... although I admit to a weakness for the bronze "limes" varieties ! Well while in pursuit of a stunning bronze I dropped a nominal bid on a Severus Alexander denarius. I was not supposed to win it ! But I did ...... Being by nature somewhat skeptical I cant help but wonder. The example shown on wildwinds is not dissimilar But this coin just seems toooo good ...... if you know what I mean. It has a bit of 'lustre' to the fields ! Severus Alexander Denarius Obv. IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG Laureate and draped bust of Alexander Severus right Rv. P M TR P IIII COS P P Mars striding right carrying spear and trophy 18-20mm 2.66 grams Sear 7898 RIC 45 Rome AD 225   BTW I scored the awesome bronze but more on that later .... The problem with this denarius is it would cost me double what I paid for it to get it authenticated ! Perhaps someone might have more expertise than my limited experiences with Roman silver. Feel free to voice any opinion either up or down I personally alternate between the two ! |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
949 Posts |
Judging by the pictures (for what that is worth), except for the chip out of the side it looks fine to me. I would not hesitate to buy it if I was after another example for Sev Alex. Sometimes they survive the years very well.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
234 Posts |
Looks like the P on the reverse was placed so It was not where the chip on the coin is . Not sure if this means the chip was there when the coin was struck. The coin looks like it was never circulated and the silver looks good.If it is genuine it is a great purchase.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
3441 Posts |
The obverse 11 oclock is tapered a bit.
May not even be a break but a section that came out rather uneven.
The 'bas relief' effect on both sides I found really impressive.
When I win something like this (cheapskate that I am !) I wonder if the other interested parties had reason to be cautious !
Normally I don't like to indicate price but since it was very low I will
$25
The old "if it's too good to be true" maxim comes into play.
Perhaps I was just lucky
|
|
Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
Other than the chipped edge, this is a super coin , with and excellent strike and sharp detail. I see nothing wrong with it.
|
|
Moderator
United States
34413 Posts |
@FR, really nice piece. I wonder if you could post a pic of the edge at the chip. I'm just wondering what the metal looks like there.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3441 Posts |
Some edge shots    As can be seen in these pics the portrait has more depth to it than the flan ! I don't believe the edge "chip" is an actual chip but is an aberration (impurities?) in the flan originating from the minting. Of course my real question is when that "minting" took place ! (18 hundred years ago or 18 months ago) |
|
Moderator
United States
34413 Posts |
@FR, thanks for the edge pics. Is that amount of relief what you would expect for a pretty much mint state denarius? I'm not sure--just asking so that I can learn more.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3441 Posts |
I wish I had a good answer for that.
I believe it to be more common on gold coins although I have seen some silver showing this much relief.
I am out of comfort area on Roman Silver !
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
949 Posts |
Typically the coins of Sev Alex varied in depth of relief, so some show much more than others. Your coin has a nice desirable high relief, but it is not exceptional in that respect.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3441 Posts |
That is good to hear. Many thanks for your learned observations. I stopped buying silver (excepting accidents or intent to resell) back when Reagan was president ! I put a low bid in simply to be an active spectator. I had no intention of winning the thing ! But for twenty five clams ? Well I guess I will soon get over the humiliation ......  |
|
Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
On the reverse,
the skill of the die cutter looks to be TOO good, especially when it comes to the intricate and accurate detail of Mars' face.
The die cutters of the day, although they may have had the skill, still needed to reduce their time per die, simply to produce the volume of coins required.
HOWEVER, I am determined if possible, not to write this coin off.
My inclination would be to have a very serious comparative search for every other Severus Alexander denarius, looking for a similar die style. Check with gold coin images as well.
The keyboard is this case, is your friend.
I hope YOU have the time. Enjoy your search !
Wildwinds, Vcoins and Google Images are good places to look in your quest.
XRF testing in this case may be of some help. Most gold buyers worth their salt have hand held XRF instruments. Consider the trace metals in the alloy, not the silver. The Romans had different methods of refining silver and that may show up in the results. Some background metrology research on Roman silver may be needed as well!.
Edited by sel_69l
10/16/2017 7:56 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3441 Posts |
I can not deny that I thought Mars looked too good to me also
But in my search I did notice one not too dissimilar.
Of course they could both be duds !
But for the money I don't plan on going to any great length on it.
My money is invested in the Geta
That one needs some verification.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Go to Google Images,
search:
"Severus Alexander Aureus"
You will find some rather nice aureii of Severus Alexander, with similarly high die cutting standards.
|
| |
Replies: 13 / Views: 3,255 |
|
Posted 10/14/2017 09:56 am
